Olympians welcomed home

After 35 hours of flying and a stopover in New Zealand, four of the Cook Islands’ London Olympians were formally welcomed home yesterday.

There was hardly any standing room at the arrivals section of Rarotonga Airport as people presented the four Olympians with eis, embraces and messages of encouragement.

Having arrived on flight NZ46, the excitement grew as the number of tourists dwindled from the plane.

Weightlifter Luisa Peters led the troupe to a chorus of cheering and a traditional welcoming song. She was followed by sprinters Patrick Tuara and Patricia Taea before sailor Helema Williams rounded out the athletes.

Cook Islands Sport and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) secretary general Rosie Blake led the support staff that included John Teiti, Sam Pera, Unakea Kauvai, Siniva Marsters, Romani Katoa and Anne Tierney.

From there, the highly decorated group was whisked away to the recently-upgraded VIP lounge for a turou ceremony that began with a prayer by Reverend Aratangi.

Prime Minister Henry Puna and deputy Tom Marsters were joined by sports minister Mark Brown and agriculture minister Nandi Glassie.

Blake thanked everyone in attendance for the ”amazing“ welcome that was ”so fitting for the Olympians of the Cook Islands“.

”These are Olympians – nobody can take that away from them,“ Blake said.

The secretary general illustrated many of the highlights from throughout the two-week sporting showcase, including a six-hour turnaround from arriving at the Olympic village to attending the following morning’s flag-raising ceremony.

Each of the four athletes’ Olympic efforts was mentioned by Blake, with weightlifter Peters’ efforts receiving extra applause from the welcoming party.

”Every time you go into the National Olympic Stadium you could see the 15 stars flag amongst the competing nations.“

Peters also stood up and spoke on behalf of the athletes. Almost smothered by ei, the weightlifter acknowledged the support they had received from the public and the sponsors before a final prayer was offered to conclude the formalities.

From there the athletes set sail for home and it was Williams’ departure that caught the eye, leaving on the back of a scooter to signal an almost seamless transition from life as an Olympian to that of a Cook Islander.